Vulcanizing apparatus



June 7,1927. 1,631,806

R. D. FRITZ VULCANIZING APPARATUS Filed July 2, 1926 if; f Q 17 H I I :I I IIHHHI ljllillim i pf jkq 56 M iii Ida Patented June 7, 1927. i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BOY D. FRITZ, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE B. I. GOODRICH COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, H. Y., A CORPORATION 01' NEW YOBK.

momma arrana'rus.

Application fled July 2, 1926. Serial ms. 120,181.

This invention relates to apparatusfor at a low part thereof and terminates at vulcanizing rubber articles such as inner the lowermost part of the chamber 15, for tubes for vehicle tires, for example, and is conducting steam or other fluid into the said especially applicable to procedure in which chamber'or for venting a fluid therefrom,

5 the articles are submerged in water or other and pipes 19, 19 communicate, through i liquid prior to or during the vulcanizing the base of the tank, with the lower part period. of the lower chamber 16 for conductinga My chief objects are to provide improved fluid into .or out of the lower chamber. A apparatus wherein a vulcanizing fluid conpipe 20 provided with a shut-off valve 21 1o veniently and economicall may be maincommunicates at its upper end with the up- 65 tained under super-.atmosp eric pressure beper chamber and at its lower end with the tween vulcanizing periods, as in so mainlower chamber 16, constituting a bypass taining a body of water to conserve the heat around the partition formed by the ramtherein for vulcanization or treatment of a head 12 and flange 13, the pi e thus be 15 succeeding batch of articles; to provide for ing adapted for equalizin t e pressure in 70 safety, economy of heat and facility of opthe chambers 15 and 16 w ile the ram-head eratibn; to provide for accurate control of 12 remains in its uppermost position in sealed the temperature of the vulcanizing fluid; to relation to the flange 13. provide for economy in equipment cost; to The tank 10 is surrounded by a steam- 20 conserve floor. space; to provide simplicity jacket 22, here shown as being limited to the 75 of apparatus; and to provide for effective region of the lower chamber 16, .the said circulation of the heating mediumabout the steam-jacket being rovided with inlet and articles, to be vulcanized. outlet pipes 23, 24 or circulating a heating More detailed objects will be manifest. fluld therethrough. 25 Of the accompanying drawings: The upper face of the ram-head 12 is Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a vulcanizer formed with dowel recesses such as the reembodying and adapted to carry out mg mcess 25 to receive respective dowel ins,such vention in its preferred form, parts 0 the as the pm 26, projecting downwa'r from the apparatus being broken away to foreshorten base 27 of a sling 28 which is provided with 30 th fig re, a bale 29- having an eye 30 ada ted to be 55 Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a modlfica engaged by the hook of an over ead hoist ti for lowering the sling onto and liftin it Referring to the drawings, the preferred from the ram-head 12, in mounting the-s ing apparatus shown in Fig. 1 comprises a vertiin and removing it from the vulcanizer. cal,cylindrical vulcanizmg-tanklOinto which The dowel pins 26 are formed with 00 a ram 11 projects from below, the ram having shoulders adapted to seat against the u per atits upper end an imperforate head 12 adaptface of the ram-head 12 so as to hold the ed to seal, about its outer margin, inst base 27 of the sling spaced above the ramth low r fa f n annular ghoul g;- or head, for thefree circulation of fluid, and flange 13 secured and sealed to and projectthe said base 27 is formed as a gratin so 95 ing lnward from the inner face of the tank that the fluid may pass therethrough. ro-

10 at about the middle thereof from top to 1ecting upward from the bars of the grating bottom. Mounted in a recess in the upper are pins 31, 31 adapted to enter and to osiface of the ram-head 12 is a gasket 14, tion the lower ends of inner tube man rels here shown as a lip-gasket, for sealing the 32, 32 placed thereover while permitting 1 ram-head against t e flange 13. The ramfluid to circulate into or out of the mandrels head is thus adapted, when the ram is elein circulating therethrough for the effective vated, to divide the tank 10 into an upper heating of inner tube 33, 33, mounted upon chamber 15 and a lower chamber 16, the h mandrels. tank 10 being provided at its top with a For accurately holding the mandrels in 106 cover 17 of the breech-block type commonly upright ositions in the slin 28 the latter used upon vulcanizers. is provi ed near its top wit a horizontal A pipe 18 leads through the wall of the plate 34 which is formed with apertures 36, tank 10 into the upper art of the chamber 36 to receive and hold in place the upper 15, and a pipe 18 le S through the wall ends of the respective mandrels 32, the sling flux, of the water.

by conductin thus being adapted for the mounting of the tube mandrels therein in substantially the manner in which billiard cues are mounted in their rack. The apertures 36 are preferably somewhat larger than the mandrels, for the easy insertion of the latter and to permit circulation of water, outside of the mandrels, through the plate.

In the preferred operation of the apparatus, the vulcanizer bemg empty and the cover 17 removed, the ram 11 is raised to seal its head 12 against the flange 13 and thus close the lower chamber 16. A body of water 37, which may have been pre-heated, is then run into the lower chamber 16 throu h the pipe 19 until the lower chamber is a most filled with water, air being vented from the cham-, ber 16 through the pipe 20 as may be necessary or desired, although in the preferred practice of vulcanizing the tubes while they are submerged in water at a pressure reater than its temperature pressure the esired pressure may be built up in the chamber 16 by leaving the valve 21 closed during the influx, or during the latter part of the in- Steam is circulated through the steam-jacket 22 in order to raise thewater to or maintain it at vulcanizing temperature, and a suitable thermostatic control (not shown) may be provided for controlling the water temperature.

The sling 28 carrying the mandrels 32 and inner tubes 33 thereon is then lowered into the vulcanizer and seated upon the ram-head 12, after which the cover 17 is mounted upon the vulcanizer, and such preliminary treatment as may be desired is given to the tubes 33. For example, steam may be slowly admitted from the lower chamber 16 through the pipe 20 into the upper chamber 15.'wh1 e air 1s vented from t e latter through the pipe 18 or 18, the circulation of. steam through the upper-chamber 15 at'low pressure serving moderately to heat and'to soften the inner tubes 33., i

The outlet represented by the pipe 1 8 or 18 is then closed while the valve 21- of the byass 20 is left open until the pressures in t e lower chamber 16 and the upper chamber 15lhave been equalized by t e passa e of steam through the by-pass. Whenlt e pressures in the two chambers 15, 16 have thus been equalized, the ram 11 with the sling 28 thereon is lowered until the tubes 33 and mandrels 32 are completely submerged in the water 37 and, if a pressure in the water greater than its temperature pressure is desired, such pressure is obtained by conducting high pressure air into the chambers 15 and 16-throu h the pipe 18, or additionzfi hi h pressure water into t e vulcanizer t rough the pipe 19.

The tubes are permitted to remain in the high pressure water at vulcanizing temperachamber through the pipe 18, the cover 17 is taken off, and the sling 28 with the vulcanized tubes thereon is lifted from the vulcanizer, while the water 37 in the lower chamber 16 continues to be held at or near the vulcanizing temperature and at a pressure equal to or greater than its pressure temperature, to conserve the heat of the water for a succeeding vulcanizing operation.

The operation as described maybe varied by subjecting the vulcanizedetubes to a coolingl operation while maintaining them under igh fluid pressure in the up er chamber 15, as by mamtainin a high uid pres sure in the said chamber y conducting compressed air thereinto through the pipe 18 1 while conducting a cooling fluid such as water into the chamber 15 through the pi e.

18, and permissibly discharging it onto t e tubes, the cooling water then being drained off from the chamber 15 throu h the pipe 18, so that it will not subsequent y be mixed with the high temperature water 37 in the lower chamber 16. I

The operation may also be varied by maintaining the water 37 at an elevated temperature less than the vulcanizing temperature,

lowering the tubes thereinto to soften them, building up a fluid pressure in the vulcanizer to cause'the water to press and compact the tubes against the mandrels, and thereafter raising the tubes into the u per chamber 15 and curing them'in steam by circulating steam in the said upper chamber by means of the pipes 18 and 18'.

The apparatus is of very simple construction and yet permits wide variation of the treatment given to the articles to be vulcanized, and the vertical position of the inner tube mandrels permits an effective cir-' culation of the heating medium through the mandrels, especiall when the heating means, such as the steamqacket 22, is so positioned as to cause an effective of the water 37. I

The water 37 may be held at a very high pressure with a high degree of safety between vulcanizing operations, since the large area of the ram-head 12 results in such high pressure upon the gasket 14 as to rovide a perfect seal, whether the said gas et be of the lip type or of the simple compression type, and the ram-head is positively limited in its upper movement by the strong and securely mounted flange 13.

gravity circulation Extensive or elaborate systems of piping are avoided while very desirable variations of the vulcanizing fluid and of temperature and pressure schedules are made possible, and the several other advantages expressed or implied in the above statement of objects may be obtained.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2 ahorizontal vulcanizing tank 40 is shown, extending into which from below are a pair of rams 41, 41 having secured to their upper ends an air-lock tube 42 having its rear end permanently closed and having at its front end a locking collar 43 of the breech-block type adapted to mate with locking means formed on the adjacent end of a tube 44 which is slidably sealed in a gland 45 mounted in the adjacent end wall of the tank, the tube 44 being provided at its outer end with a door 45 and adapted to he slid inward and to beheld back in its outward movement by means of a screw device 44*, and, when in its innermost position, to be locked to the tube 42 in sealed relation thereto. The screw device 44 is hiuged to the vulc-anizer at 44", 44", so as to be swung aside for removal or insertion of the articles, and the screw of the said device is ada ted to bear upon a stud 44 projecting rigidly from the door 45* for a suificient distance to give stability to the screw device in operative position. 7

The outer end of the tube 44, outside of the tank, is provided, with a door 45 traversed by a vent pipe 46 having a stop-valve- 47 for reducing pressure within the'tubes 42 and 44 when the said tubes are locked together in sealed relation. The tank 40 is provided with an air or steam pipe 48 at its top and admin or vent pipe 49 at its bottom, for suitably supplying fluid thereto or ventingit' therefrom, and a steam-jacket 50 having inlet pipes 51, 52 may be provided.

In the operation of this modified type of apparatus,,the parts being in the positions shown in Fig. 2, the tube 44 is slid inwar and engaged with the tube 42 so that the interiors of the tubes are out of communication with the interior of the tank 40. The tubes 42, 44 are then vented through the pipe 46 to reduce the pressure within them to atmospheric pressure, and the door 45 is then opened and a quantity of articles to be vulcanized are passed through the tube 44, from the exterior of the vulcanizer, into the tube 42. The door 45 and the vent pipe 46 are then closed, the tube 4 4 is turned to disconnect it from the tube 42, the pressure within the tank 40 then forcing the tube 44 to its a lower compartment, and a-valve outermost position, where, in conjunction with its door 45, it serves as a closure member for the tank 40, and the tube 42 with the articles to be vulcanized therein is lowered by means of the rams 41 into a body of water contained in the tank 40, the water entilering the tube 42 and surrounding the arti- 0 es.

\Vhen articles have remained in the water for a suflicient time to be vulcanized the tube 42 is raised from the water, the tube 44 is forced inward and connected with thetube 42, and the two tubes are vented through the pipe 46, after which the door 45 is opened and the articles are removed. A new batch of articles is then passed into the tube 42 and the operation as described is repeated.

I claim: 7

1. A vulcanizercomprising a tank, a ram having its head within the tank for lowering and raising articles therein, and means on the side wall of the tank at an intermediate part thereof for sealing against the ram head to divide the tank into two compartments.

2. A vulcanizer comprising a tank, a liquid bath partly filling the tank, means for maintaining the said liquid bath at vulcanizing temperature, vertically reciprocable means for lowering and raising articles in 'the tank to submerge them in and lift them from the liquid bath while the tank is closed, and a gas lock for passing articles into the tank.

3. A vulcanizer comprising a tank, means for lowering and raising articles in the tank while the tank is closed, and means adapted to seal against the said lowering and raisin means and therewith to constitute a gas 100 for passin articles into the tank.

4. A 'vu canizer comprising a tank, sealing means for dividing the tank into an upper and a lower compartment at will, and

means for transferring articles from one ,of

d the compartments to the other while the tank is closed.

having its head within the tank for lowering and raising articles therein, means on the side wall of the tank at an intermediate part thereof for sealing against the ram head to divide 'the tank into an u per and or equalizing pressures in the two compartments.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of June, 1926.

' ROY D. FRITZ. 

